UK Delivery Service Adds All-Electric Vito Vans

Within three months of commissioning its first all-electric Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL van, zero-emission final mile UK delivery specialist Gnewt Cargo has ordered three more.

The vehicles are assigned to the company’s contract with delivery services company TNT Express, and are now operating primarily within London’s Square Mile.

Gnewt – the name is a derivation of Green NEW Transport – was launched in 2009 and utilizes a fleet of electric cargo cycles and minivans to provide deliveries and collections across the capital.

“Our service, vehicles and micro consolidation hubs are precision-targeted to our clients’ needs and locations, we create fulfilling work for local people, and best of all we have been independently verified to cut CO2 emissions per parcel delivered by a whopping 62 percent,” said Gnewt co-founder Sam Clarke.

An 82 hp (60 kW) electric motor drives the Vito E-CELL's the front wheels, so the space beneath the load floor can be used to store the lithium-ion batteries without reducing the passenger or cargo areas.

The Vito E-CELLoffers similar cargo carrying capacities to standard models and will cover an average of 80 miles between recharges – to maximize operating range, top speed is electronically limited to 56 mph. A completely empty battery can be recharged from a 380/400 volt input in a maximum of six hours, according to Mercedes-Benz.